Hearts like flint

HEART BLOG 4: HEARTS LIKE FLINT
Unshaken by Approval or Rejection

We live in a world obsessed with reaction. Craving applause. Avoiding offense. Addicted to feedback and subtly shaped by what other people think, say, post, and project.

But the man who lives for approval will die when it’s taken away. And the man who fears rejection will compromise the moment he's misunderstood.

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”
— Isaiah 50:7

God doesn’t call us to be emotionally detached.
He calls us to be spiritually anchored.
A man with a heart like flint isn’t numb — he’s focused.
He’s not bitter — he’s built.
He’s not living to be understood — he’s living to be faithful.

The Pressure to Please Will Crush You

Approval is addictive because it feels like safety.
You think, “If they like me, they won’t hurt me.”
But living for approval is a slow erosion of the soul.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you…”
— Luke 6:26

Jesus didn’t chase applause. He didn’t craft His sermons around what was trending in the synagogue. He set His face like flint — and walked straight into the tension with peace, power, and precision.

If you want to walk like Christ, you have to give up the need to be liked. That’s not a rejection of love — it’s a pursuit of truth.

Rejection Isn’t Your Enemy — Misalignment Is

Some men avoid rejection like it’s a death sentence. But Jesus faced rejection from the people He created.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?”
— Galatians 1:10

This isn’t theory for me — it’s the path I’ve crawled through.

Not long ago, we were forced to shut down a company I had built with everything I had — heart, time, money, reputation. It was the collision of severe health issues, full-blown nervous system breakdowns, and outright sabotage — not by good people who cracked under pressure, but by nasty, intentional, self-serving ones.

At the same time, I was burnt out beyond functioning. Our family was running on fumes. I couldn’t afford rest or treatment. I had rashes all over my body, a brain and body that couldn’t keep up. Still, I had to provide — from nothing.

But what broke me wasn’t just the sabotage or pressure. It was watching people I had once supported — people I had carried, fought for, protected, provided for — vanish. Or worse, bleed us further while we were already in the pit.

Then came the false narratives. The assumptions. The character assassination.

I felt criminalised. Shamed. Alone.

And like David at Ziklag, I had no crowd. Just ashes — and a choice.

I had to strengthen myself in the Lord.

And while I was clinging to that quiet place of strengthening — the attacks didn’t stop.
I began receiving taunting images — demonic artwork with my face edited into it.
Emails from the very man trying to torment me.
Fake social media profiles.
Stalkers. Lies.
All of it calculated to twist the knife and keep me from healing.

But I knew what I was dealing with — this wasn’t just emotional or relational warfare. This was spiritual.

And because of that, I didn’t fight back with bitterness.
I sent words of encouragement.
I spoke peace.
I strengthened myself in the Lord for the next season of my life — not because the fire had died down, but because I had chosen who I would be in it.

Sadly, the lives of those who carried out that torment have not gone in a good direction.
Not because of me — but because the enemy will use people as vessels… and then discard them like they were never worth anything.

He devours, then spits them out.

But my heart?
Still standing.
Not hard.
Just flint.

And Here’s What I Know Now

If the enemy fights that hard to destroy your peace, it’s because there’s something dangerous about your future. The man who doesn’t break in the fire becomes a threat to darkness.

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
— Nelson Mandela

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
— Mother Teresa

You may not get your name cleared. You may not get the apology you deserve.
But if you let God finish the work He’s doing in your heart, what comes next will not be shallow — it will be anointed.

Because the man who stays kind in betrayal…
The man who lifts his head when no one else believes in him…
The man who can say “I’m still here” when everything tried to take him out…

That man becomes unshakeable.

Your best years aren’t behind you.
They’re ahead — and they’ll be built on truth, not trauma.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in my life am I still living for approval?

• Where has rejection shaped how I see myself more than God’s Word has?

• What would it look like for me to set my face like flint in the season I’m in?

🔥 Scripture-Based Action Step:

1. Read Isaiah 50:7 and write it at the top of your journal or mirror.

2. Under it, write two areas where you’ve been:

   • Over-influenced by approval

   • Over-wounded by rejection

3. Under each, write a Scripture-based identity statement (e.g. “I am approved in Christ — Ephesians 1:6”)

4. Begin each day this week by declaring out loud:
   “Today, I set my face like flint. I am rooted, not reactive.”

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
— Psalm 51:10

Men who change the world don’t need permission.
They need conviction.

And the kind of heart God can use isn’t the one chasing comfort —
It’s the one that’s been forged into flint.